The Fangs
Two sharp peaks above the plain.
IvarT — CC0 · Sergio Agostinelli — CC BY 2.0 · Berik Aday — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Максат79 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · IvarT — CC0
Bozzhyra, meaning «grey ravine» in Kazakh, is one of Kazakhstan's most famous natural sights, on the western edge of the Ustyurt Plateau in Mangystau. It spans 3,000 square kilometres, with its finest views in just 40, where white chalk towers like fangs rise from a vast plain, as if from another planet. Some 40 to 60 million years ago the ancient Tethys Ocean retreated from this land, leaving layers of limestone and chalk more than 250 m thick. The mass then rose, and wind and rain carved it, exposing fossils of shells, shark teeth and sea urchins. A hotel project in 2020 drew wide protest over the environment, and the president asked for it to be revised. From the upper viewpoints you see the two sharp peaks known as the Fangs, a wall shaped like a ship, isolated mesas and white ground veined by flood channels. The colours shift with the sun, loveliest at sunrise and sunset. There are no buildings or services in the valley, and some visitors stay in camps run by tour companies. Beket-Ata Mosque is about 21 km in a straight line to the north. It is about 270 km from Aktau, with a final stretch of dirt road, so you need a 4x4 and local guide or a tour. Bozzhyra is a nature park requiring a permit, so make sure your operator arranges it. Spring and autumn suit best, as summer is very hot and winter can bring snow. Bring enough water, keep back from crumbling cliff edges and leave fossils where they lie.
Two sharp peaks above the plain.
The famous Korablik view.
Shifting colours on the chalk.
Western edge of the Ustyurt Plateau, Mangystau Region
It is hard without desert experience, as tracks are unpaved with no services, so a local guide is best.
Yes, it is a nature park, and operators usually arrange this.